Can opener



M. C. FRINS CAN OPENER Sept. 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 18, 1954 ii iv FIG. 4.

INVENTOR. C. FRINS N m u m M M 4 ATTUPNfV-S M. C. FRlNS CAN OPENER Sept. 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 18. 1954 INVENTOR. MAXIMILIAN C. FRINS FIG. 80. BY

United States Patent CAN OPENER Maximilian C. Frins, Plainfield, N. J., assignor to Joseph A. Cahil, doing business as Cahil Manufacturing Company, New York, N. Y.

Application May 18, 1954, Serial No. 430,480

1 Claim. (Cl. 15)

This invention relates to kitchen utensils, and more particularly to a can opener of the general organization represented in my U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,190,940, wherein a cutter is mounted on a frame which is provided with an elongated slot to permit a rotatable feed wheel to be moved toward and away from the cutter.

In the can opener shown and described in my above patent, the cutter is mounted to but separated from a surface of the frame by an intermediate spacer plate and a shim. The shim is provided with a projecting portion which is immediately adjacent to the cutter and has a configuration somewhat similar to the cutter. When the can opener is mounted in operative relation to a can to be opened, the projecting portion of the shim extends downwardly engaging the inside surface of the rim or bead of the can thus separating the cutter from the inside surface of the rim. This projecting portion is made of a soft metal and its function is to prevent the hardened steel cutter from damaging or cutting into the rim and from shaving slivers or particles from the can.

In addition, the can opener of my patent is provided with a resilient spring member having curved or rounded ends to receive and curl around the ends of the aforesaid spacer element, and a straight or flattened length between the ends, the function of the straight portion of the spring being to present a line contact against the top of the rim of the can, when cutting, to prevent the can from tipping or being dislodged from the opener, and to permit the rim of the can to be gripped and held between the spring and the feed wheel without other support and without the necessity of resting the can upon a table while the lid is being removed.

Although the can opener of my above-identified patent has proved highly satisfactory, nevertheless, the present invention is directed to a modified form of that can opener which will provide even superior performance for a wider range of diflerent type cans.

For example, it has been found that the straight or flat length of the spring member does not substantially deflect or change its form, and consequently, when the opener is applied to certain types of cans the very great pressure exerted by the spring causes the teeth of the rotatable feed wheel to dig excessively into the underside of the rim. This high degree of friction increases the cutting eflort. v

Furthermore, it has been found that the flat portion of the spring may have a tendency to lose the grip of circular rims of very small radius, although working very satisfactorily on average size cylindrical cans and on cans having square and rectangular rims, except at the sharp corners thereof. This tendency to lose the grip of the rim of the can becomes greater as the radius of the can becomes smaller. In addition, there is a tendency on cans of small turning radius for the traction or toothed wheel to ride away from the underside of the can rim, resulting in additional undesirable friction and consequently greater cutting effort and even erratic cutting or definite failure in 2,718,055 Patented Sept. 20, 1955 ice cutting through the entire top of the can, especially at the end of the cut.

It has been discovered that these undesirable eifects can be overcome by replacing the spring of the above description with a bow spring having a gradually curving shape throughout its entire length. A spring of this general description provides a very short line or virtually a point contact with the upper edge of the rim'while cutting, and it is capable of greater deflection to eliminate undesirable friction and reduce the cutting effort. This type of spring has been found to afford far better results on cans of smaller radius, while providing the usual satisfactory results on other types of cans.

According to the present invention the formation of the shim has also been modified. It has been found that the amount of friction which it introduces in cutting can be substantially reduced or eliminated by providing an extension or projection wherein the edge which travels just above the top surface of the can lid is a straight line having short radii at its corners. This modified form of the shim, not only eliminates a certain amount of unnecessary friction, but also provides an additional advantage by aifording a better gripping action of the can by the can opener and preventing the can from tilting and accidental release of the can rim by the opener.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and of the can opener to which it is applicable, reference may be had to the complete description of the invention which follows and to the accompanying draw: ings in which:

Fig. 1 is a face view of the can opener embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of part of the utensil;

Fig. 3 is a view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking the manner in which a can is punctured and the top removed with the present invention;

Figs. 7B and 8B are cross-section viewssimilar to Figs. 7A and 8A, respectively, but looking at the openeredgewise; and

Fig-8C is an enlarged view of part of Fig. 8B.

Referring to the drawings, and especially to Fig. l, a flat frame member or plate 10 is attached to a handle 11, and the fiat member is provided with an elongated slot or aperture 12 which accommodates a shaft or guide washer 13 (see also Fig. 8B). Secured to one end of the washer 13 is a turning wing 14, and a toothed or traction feed wheel 15 is secured to the opposite end of the washer by a stub shaft 16. The washer 13 is provided with a pair of collars 13a (see Fig. 2), and the periphery of the washer 13 is engaged by and between the prongs of a bifurcated spring member 17 which, in turn, is pivotally mounted upon a shouldered rivet 18. By means of the foregoing construction, the spring member 17 serves to maintain the feed wheel 15 yieldingly in the position shown in Fig. 1, although when the guide or washer 13 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, as

viewed in Fig. 1, by turning the wing 14, the feed wheel-1 maybe advanced toward the cutting mechanism to be de-' outside periphery of the can to position the opener properly with respect thereto during the cutting operation.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the handle 11 is formed in one piece by two separated members 11a, 1112 connected at the bottom in U-shaped fashion, with the member 11b being longer than the member 11a. A cutter 20 is mounted to the side of the plate 10 above the shorter member 11a of the handle, and the cutter 20 is separated from the plate 10 by a spacer plate 21 and a shim 22 (see Fig. the latter being immediately adjacent to the cutter. Both curved ends of a spring 23 (see Fig. 4) are curled around the spacer plate 21 and are thus secured thereto. The spring 23 engages the upper end of the rim of the can, and, as explained above, the spring is formed with a gradual curved shape throughout its entire length, particularly at its operative middle portion which is the length thereof which engages the rim.

The shim 22, as shown in Fig. 5, is provided with three holes 24 arranged in a row, as is the spacer member 21, to receive the center rivet 18 and the rivets 25. The upper rivet 25 and the center rivet 18 both pass through and join the longer member 11b of the handle 11, the spacer plate 21, the shim 22 and the cutter 29, whereas the lower rivet 25 joins the members 11a and 11b of the handle 11 and passes through the shim and spacer plate.

In order that the blade Zita of the cutter 20 may be spaced from the rim of the can to facilitate its relative movement with respect to the rim of the can, the shim 22 is provided with a projection 26 which is adapted to bear against the inside surface of the rim. As men tioned above, the shim 22 is made of a soft metal, and, consequently, the projection 26 serves to prevent the cutter from deforming the rim or from shaving slivers of metal therefrom.

To render the device more useful, a cork screw 30 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 31 suspended between the members 11a, 11b of the handle. Moreover, the plate is formed with an opening 32 and a suitably beveled edge 33 in order that it may be effectively used for removing caps from bottles. Extending axially from the plate 10 is an extension 34 and a curved lip portion 35. The curved lip 35 is adapted to be inserted under a cap or lid of a bottle or jar, thus enabling the device, in conjunction with a hump portion 36 of the extension 34, to be used as a bottle or jar opener. The extreme end 37 of the plate 10 is tapered, so that it may be used as a screw driver and a pryer, such as for prying lids.

The operation of the device as a can opener is best described with reference to Figs. 7A to 8C. As shown in Figs. 7A and 7B, the device is applied to the rim R of a can C by rotating the toothed feed Wheel in the proper direction, the Wheel engaging the outside of the rim and riding down beneath the rim to cause the blade a to pierce the lid L of the can. The position of the feed wheel 15 before the can opener is applied to the can is represented in phantom lines in Fig. 7A, and the position of the wheel after the opener is applied to the can is represented in phantom lines in Fig. 8A. The device, as applied to the can, is shown in Fig. 8B, with the projection 26 of the shim 22 engaging the inside surface of the rim R, the spring 23 in contact with the upper edge of the rim R, and the traction wheel 15 in contact with the underside of the rim. When the device is thus applied to the can, it is securely mounted thereto so that the can may be supported entirely by holding the handle 11. Upon continued rotation of the wheel 15 in the proper direction, the cutter severs the lid L. Just before the end of the cut, the lid tilts into an angular position so that it may be grasped and readily removed.

It will be observed that the projection 26 of the shim 22 serves adequately to separate the cutter 20 from the rim R for the purposes described above. Furthermore, as explained above, the projection 26 is formed with a straight edge 26a (see Fig. 5) and curved edges 26b of short radii at each end thereof, the rounded portions 26b of the shim engaging the inner wall of the rim of the can to guide the movement of the rim relative to the can opener and to prevent the can from tilting when it is supported by said can opener. The straight portion 26a of the shim makes contact with the inner surface of the rim, but does not extend appreciably beyond the upper portion of the small curvature which connects the lid to the rim. The shim, therefore, does not dig into this curved surface.

In addition, the spring 23 is formed with a gradual curve throughout its length, particularly at its middle operative or rim engaging length. As shown in Figs. 8B and 8C, the curved portion of the spring engages the upper edge of the rim R and, normally, will make a point contact. The curved shape of the spring permits substantial deflection to permit the opener to be applied to rims of varying sizes and shapes, as well as to reduce the pressure exerted by the spring upon the rim to keep to a minimum the friction which the traction wheel 15 exerts upon the rim and the turning effort required to rotate the traction wheel.

The invention has been shown and described in but a single preferred form and by way of example, but obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein and in its mode of application without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is understood, therefore, that the invention is not to be limited to any speciiied form or embodiment, except insofar as such limitations are expressly set forth in the claim.

I claim:

l. A can opener comprising a frame, an elongated slot in the frame, a feed wheel journaled in the slot, a cutter mounted on the frame, a spacer bar separating the cutter from the frame, a thin shim separating the spacer bar and the cutter, the shim having a projection which extends adjacent the cutter to separate the cutter from the inner surface of the rim of the can when the can opener is operatively applied to the can, said projection guiding the movement of the rim relative to the can opener and preventing the cutter from shaving metal from the inner surface of the rim, and a resilient spring member having its ends curled around opposite ends of the spacer bar, thereby mounting the spring member in position to engage the upper edge of the rim of the can, the spring member lying in the plane of the wheel and its middle rim engaging length being characterized by a gradual, continuous, convex curvature, so that only a small length of the spring member engages the top edge of the rim of the can, and the projection of the shim being characterized by rounded portions of relatively small radii at both ends and an elongated intermediate portion therebetween, said intermediate portion of the shim extending to but not below the top of the curved surface connecting the inner surface of the rim and the lid, and the rounded portions at both ends of the projection engaging the inner surface of the rim, said engagement at both ends maintaining a snug, gripping contact with the inner surface of the rim to prevent the can from tilting when supported by the can opener.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,190,940 Frins Feb. 20, 1940 

